After three straight weeks of no top-prize claimants, a middle-aged couple from Brisbane’s Kenmore neighborhood has walked away with one of Australia’s biggest recent Powerball jackpots, scoring a total windfall of $40,724,820.55.
The couple, who already had 19 additional lower-division wins to their name in the same Thursday evening draw, became the first jackpot winners since late June, when an unregistered Canberra man claimed an identical $40 million top prize. When lottery officials called to deliver the life-changing news, the winning husband gave a blunt, distinctly Australian reaction that captured the utter shock of the moment: “F**k no! What? You’re kidding me,” he shouted, unable to process the win at first.
His wife shared similar disbelief, recalling that she had joked with her husband moments before the call that the unknown contact could be the national lottery operator The Lott with good news. “This is unreal. This can’t be real,” she said. Unlike many jackpot winners who weigh long-term decisions about their careers, the pair immediately announced an end to their working lives, saying they had spent years questioning whether there was more to life than daily work routines.
“I’ve dreamt of this, but never imagined this happening to us,” the husband told lottery officials. The couple outlined their early plans for the massive sum: they will first clear their outstanding home mortgage, then set up long-term financial security for their children and extended family. Beyond that, they said they plan to embrace their newfound freedom and enjoy every moment of their unexpected good fortune.
Lottery officials confirmed that the winning numbers, ordered numerically, were 7, 11, 12, 18, 27, 30 and 34, with a Powerball of 16. Alongside the single top-division jackpot win, 20 players took home division two prizes of $38,148.45 each, and another 81 winners claimed division three prizes of $11,650.25 apiece. The win marks the end of a four-draw rollover that had built up the jackpot to its massive sum, making the Brisbane couple the envy of lottery players across the country.